It was all or nothing. In under two years, Bilmuri quietly went from a D.I.Y. phenomenon (who was stoked to play for a couple hundred people) to selling out tours around the world. A decade ago, Columbus, OH singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer a.k.a. Johnny Franck dropped Bilmuri’s independent debut Jaguar Shark EP in 2016. He attracted a cult audience under the radar, thanks to over a dozen projects including Eggy Pocket [2020] and Goblin Hours [2022]. Peers sought him out, and he worked on tracks with Knox, Mitchell Tenpenny, Dayseeker, Dance Gavin Dance, Make Me Famous, and brody. Leveling up, AMERICAN MOTOR SPORTS yielded “EMPTYHANDED” [feat. Dylan Marlowe] and his biggest streamer to date “BETTER HELL (Thicc boi),” which is going strong on Spotify with 20 million-plus plays. Beyond 100 million-plus streams total and love from LoudWire, KERRANG!, and more, Guitar World hailed it as “one of 2024’s hottest records,” and OnesToWatch described it as “flavorful.” In its wake, he hit the road with Sleep Token and Bad Omens in addition to launching a sold-out North American headline tour. He properly introduced widespread audiences to his uncanny hybrid of alternative rock hooks, heavy metal riffing, emo introspection, and countrified charisma. Johnny knew that he had to come out swinging for the follow-up. It wasn’t just about keeping his foot on the gas; he had to burn rubber and cross the finish line first—or go out in a blaze of glory bright enough to be seen from space. He put everything (and more) into 2026’s KINDA HARD [Columbia Records]. It’s what you know and love about Bilmuri, but the guitars chug much harder, the melodies stick around longer, the lyrics cut deeper, and everything is a lot more Muri…